An array of apps and accessories for the iPhone turn the mobile device into a scanner that recognizes bar codes and printed text. Laser devices built into hardware accessories scan codes and send data to the iPhone; software apps use the iPhone's high-resolution camera to scan printed material or objects. If your business uses bar or Quick Response codes, this technology can help you realize more benefits from your existing iPhone investment.

QR And Bar Codes

Traditional rectangular bar codes and newer square QR codes store information as a black-and-white printed graphic. IPhone apps and accessories can scan Universal Product Codes, QR codes and bar codes used in inventory and shipping. At the low end, apps help you with UPC codes while shopping and handle other kinds of casual use. High-end hardware solutions provide rapid scanning and interface with custom software.

Printed Text

Apps for the iPhone convert business cards automatically into contact records, saving you the considerable time required for manual entry. Optical Character Recognition software analyzes the images taken by the iPhone's camera, producing text data from printed documents. In addition, banks offer custom apps for check deposits. Using the app, you scan the front and back sides of the check and transmit the images to the bank. The bank validates the account and amount information and creates a deposit for you electronically.

Hardware

Bar code scanning equipment vendors offer specialized, commercial-grade hardware accessories for the iPhone. These devices use a laser scanner similar to those found in handheld scanners and supermarket checkout registers. The laser scanner detects codes more quickly than the iPhone's camera; in this case, the phone functions as a processing and data storage device for the codes picked up by the scanner. Most of these devices send the code data to the iPhone over a Bluetooth wireless connection. In October 2012, prices for commercial scanning accessories run from about $150 to $650.

Apps

Dozens of programs that are available in the App Store scan 2-D and 3-D bar codes. Many of these apps are free; some are a nominal 99 cents. These scanners are simple apps that decipher bar and QR codes. Most automatically display the corresponding Web page for those codes, which are Web links. All the apps use the iPhone's camera to capture the codes; framing and focusing the image takes a few seconds, so these are not meant for high-volume commercial use. Google Goggles, part of the Google app and a particularly versatile example, recognizes bar and QR codes, wine labels, works of art and landmarks in addition to translating text printed in foreign languages.

About the Author

Chicago native J.T. Barett has a Bachelor of Science in physics from Northeastern Illinois University and has been writing since 1991. He has contributed to "Foresight Update," a nanotechnology newsletter from the Foresight Institute. He also contributed to the book, "Nanotechnology: Molecular Speculations on Global Abundance."